Micheal Crichton’s writing, one time, as Jeffrey Hudson, delivers his first medical thriller filled with a number of themes that are still sadly too relevant today.

Dr. John Berry is a pathologist working at Boston Memorial who finds himself trying to help out a friend and fellow doctor, Dr. Lee, when he is arrested for murder brought on by what looks like a very poorly done abortion.

Abortion was illegal at the time this novel was published (which sadly makes it relevant again for a number of places) and Dr. Lee was discreetly helping out those in need for a minimum fee. But now, the daughter of one of the top doctors in Boston is dead from a botched abortion, and Lee was named as the abortionist.

The race card gets played because of Lee’s Asian descent, and his family suffers for it when news gets out following Lee’s arrest. His family is under threat, Lee is languishing in jail waiting for bail, and advice from his lawyer, and Berry begins investigating on his own to help his friend.

As Berry begins to ask questions, there is the suggestion that Karen Randall, the victim, may not have been pregnant and didn’t even need an abortion. But there is more going on because there are secrets, internal and familial at work that want to stay buried.

Crichton delivers a fast-paced tale, and he keeps the characters and narratives moving and engaging. He also delivers a lot of medical jargon and information but ensure that it remains understandable to the layperson.

The mystery plays out tightly with lots of excitement and glimpses inside the medical profession (sure it was at the end of the 60s, but you can see a lot of the story and ideas carrying over into today’s world).

Honestly, this one felt leaps and bounds past his previous tale, Easy Go. As much as I liked the Egyptology and setting of that book, it didn’t pay off as well, whereas this time out, I didn’t know a lot about the subject matter but was totally caught up in it.

Crichton delivers his clues and information with flair and keeps the pages turning as Berry pursues the truth in an effort to help his friend, but where will the truth ultimately lead?

This one was a great ride.

Crichton was a fantastic writer, and I’m having a great time revisiting his novels, discovering all his books that I hadn’t read yet, and revisiting some old favourites. The next one up on the list is Zero Cool, which sees him return to his John Lange pseudonym.